Honolulu, Hawaii – Hawaii Independent Party (HIP) Gubernatorial Candidate Mufi Hannemann picked up a pair of highly coveted union endorsements today. The State of Hawaii Organization of Police Officers (SHOPO), and the Hawaii Sheet Metal Workers Union, Local 293 (HSMW) combined forces to throw their support to the former Honolulu mayor during a news conference held at the SHOPO Headquarters in Kalihi.

SHOPO, is an independent Police Union and exclusive representative of about 2,900 police in Hawaii. President Tenari Ma’afala said, “Our police officers support Mayor Mufi Hannemann because he has been an outstanding champion for public safety and law enforcement in the State of Hawaii throughout his career. He leads by example and during his tenure as mayor, Honolulu was consistently named as one of the safest big cities in America based on FBI crime statistics. He is also a humble people person who seeks and values our input consistently, thanks our men and women in blue for the job that they do and genuinely cares about our officers and the welfare of their families,” said Ma’afala.

Mufi and Tenari Ma‘afala of SHOPO

Hannemann gratefully accepted the SHOPO endorsement, saying, “My running mate Les Chang and I pledge our full support to work with these dedicated men and women in uniform, who put their lives on the line daily to protect the health and safety of the people of our great state and who help ensure our quality of life. As governor, I will work doubly hard to support initiatives that drive down crime rates and provide a stronger boost to the state-wide ohana of first responders,” said Hannemann.

Hannemann was also endorsed by The Hawaii Sheet Metal Workers Union. “Local 293 proudly endorses and supports Mufi Hannemann as our next governor. The residents of Hawaii can be confident that the Hannemann/Chang ticket will work tirelessly to make sure that Hawaii is a great place to earn a living, to support our families, and raise our children. Mayor Hannemann has long been a strong advocate for the working class. His leadership on rail and transit oriented development which will lead to thousands of jobs that will benefit all of us has been extraordinary! Needless to say, rail would not have happened without him,” said Art Tolentino, HSMW Business Manager/Financial Secretary/Treasurer.

” I appreciate this early endorsement very much and thankful that Local 293 is expressing it strongly now, stated Hannemann. “Les Chang and I grew up in working class families and neighborhoods where it was all about hard work and sacrifice and that’s what the Sheet Metal worker represents. They can count on us to never forget our roots and always strive to bring about good meaningful jobs as we have done in the past wherever we have served.”

Mufi Hannemann filed nomination papers on Tuesday with his running mate Les Chang, who is a decorated Air Force veteran.